Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1887-03-05
Anoss sss sOoxOnifaa

A remarkable romance coucSruing old
jacob HenflcL the leader Of the EconomiteA,
In Washington county, this state, celebrated
communicate s,ciety, hes been unearthed BY
the writer II 10 love story which hes
iAsted Lifetime, aud will end only In the
death OF the two charscters involved. The
heroine In an Old lady, the granddaughter Of
RApp the founder Of this singular commu.
nifty Of Germans which can not be paralleled
In this or any other country.
Strangers who walked through the sraas-
grown streets Of Economy last saturday
morning were for the time being transplauted
10 . typical German village Quaint old
people, quaint old houses and costumes ex.
cited their continual curiosity, which was In.
creased when they entered the On0-story
brick church, where . iew Of the twenty
aged and feeble survivors OF Rapp's 800 emil.
grants, with many OF the 800 Of their kitchen
maids aud farm hands who are non amena
able to the society's strange lava were gath.
cred for divine worship Across the centre
Of the church extends q narrow aisle with .
platform at each end, one being oNupied BY
two organs at which old MIR. Henrici and
Miss Rspp sat playing. On both sides Of the
aisles high.backed benches extended TO the
rear. The men sat on one side, and the
women on the cher, facing each other. II
was singular gathering. reminding one Of
c,stume which WAS startling for her age II
consisted OF . purple gown, . blue necksr-
chief, with red, blue and green border, and .
mazzarine blue silk.quil,ed Normandy hon.
| net When the singing Of the opening hymn
accompanied by the orgAn.playing Of our
aged hero and heroine, who have aacriticed
love and devotion to the cruel community
law Of celibscy, had been concluded, Mr..
| Herrici walked acrCss the aisles 10 the oppo.
| site platform and began the sermon Of the
morning. lie sat on his chair during it, On.
tire delivery.
| Miss Rapp 10 about seventy eight years Of
1 st.a ,S.I
fined, highly educated aud possessed Of con.
| siderable musical talent She and jacob
| Henrici fell desperately In love with each
| ether, but OF course could not marry. They
he In one wing with several old male mem.
| bers OF the society, while Miss Rspp, with
her women, resides In another wing. As they
| Sat side by side In church this morning, the
| sympathetic chords OF the few persons pres.
| ent conversant with this secret romance were
| awakened, and there was q feeling OF sad.
| meas ~ the religious services were participa.
ted in by the aged lovers IN the quaintsst yet
simplest and siucerest manner possible
Another love romance, involving . lead 4
member OF the community, is still more In.
teresting, and II result ted in the temporary
insanity OF the man. Twenty years ago he
was sent on mission to the oil regions,
| where, forgetting his vows, he became infat
uated With . charming girl. In some way
| the terrible news reached Economy, and Mr
Henrici immediat started for the Oil coun
try. Arriving In the town, he was horriteI
| to duG ais associate out carriage .la!ag Y itt
i nis chsrmer. Henrici was espied about thu
| same instant, ana the lovs.sIck Economic
immediately deserted his lady friend, AnC
lsaping from the carriage. escaped to tn,
woods A search was made, which LASTED
| three days and there being no traces OF tn,
missing man, Henrici returned 10 Economy
| Ths wandersr finally came home but he vi
on the verge Of insanity. He was confined II
Dixmont and shortly recovered. He is still
1 tut nft ha tr,na hon paA ,kuora n
the community, and has, no doubt, forgot tn,
| escapade OF twenty years ago
DIR. Fite, no longer q member. succeedes
his father ~ the village physician. He hss
never studied medicine, but had read care
fully the ponderous receipt books, treatise
on herbs, etc, inherited from his father
, Finally Mr.. Henrici took him to = neighbol
ing physician, that he might become NOR
proficient The physician WAS absent, an
1 | young Fite became 40 engrossed In th
q | charms OF the NJ. D.'s wife, who receive
4 them, that Mr.. henrici became alarmed, an
h the ohjsc. at the visit was at once abandoned
a Fite WAS escorted home again. shortly ate
a | the village was visited by an epidemic, du
= ing which Q German girl, who volunteere
y | AS nurse, and young Fite became enamOre
: | OF each other, and planned to get married.
cured, aud meeting the couple at the railws
station they were married. Fite was give
$1,000 and expelled from the society, m
with his bride he moved to Allegheny Cit,
/ WuoI6 ue VIbctS0O IOI o0V0IAl years. no vi
u sftsrwsrd taken back on . salary, but SOC
took to opium eating, and drified away new
to return.
}. A tragic incident occurred recently. job
/. Wolihsnger; the seciety's storsksepsr, .. q
/. festival gatherings Both times he was d
tectsd BY Mr.. Henrici and punished in &
y unknown but, 1t 10 said, severe manner. tt
q second time Wolihanger. who was stricke
d with remorse, took dose OF morphine IN
It dieo.
n A strange story IN relation to the buildiu
q OF the Pittsburg 4 Lake Erie railroad hi
o come tn light This WAS accom- plished fitse
}. years ago, mainly through the efforts OF Il
v Economics, represented by Mr.. Hsnric
!. / During the panic of 81 son Of the iOundt
3 Rspp became frightened, and, with the ooI
I sent Of the society, converted el0O 900 OF 1
Il property into silver dollsra These wei
y buried in . cellar, and were not unearths
a | until forty years later, when Il was decide
4 70 invest them In the new railroad, which
r now controlled by the VsnderbiltA n
= | Heurici, who, with Mr.. Lenz, had succeede
:, to the trustssship himself counted out ID
n dollars, aud sot all the inhabitants OF the vi
n la9e TO work cleaning the coins with salt an
!, vinegar. When the rust Of forty year. ha
4 been removed they were brought to Pitt
;. ment made. Mr.. Henrici was the drst pres
. | control.
It Ia said the common fund OF the socis,
q / jos ho" tooouou SopVVobVVVt ouu ouib W VI
q tribute this amongst the survivors, secede
n and heirs Of the latter In now pending In u
= United States supreme court 1t was brougI
= by the executor OF Elias Spiedsl, who,
q 1882, with others rsbeIled against the law
! celibscy, and left 70 organize an independeE
r society. Spiedei's parents hsd been anon
q Rspp's original 6migrsnts from Wurten
!. berg, and placed 81 ,OOo In the common fun,
A dissolution OF the trusteeshlp OF Jact
q Henrici and Jonathan Lenz 10 demandet
n because 1t IL predicted on religious fraud, On
n illegal because against public policy. II Il
a supreme court refuses 70 dissolve this trua
Q where will the money 60 when the last OF Il
3 survivors dies
One of the seceders OF 1882 died Ut Phillip
burg, Beaver county, on Thursday last Il
WAS Jscob Schssfer, aged eighty.six yeaIs
Literally True.
From the Chicago News.